ASSIST Architectural Security Standards Information

In any meeting of CSOs there are often comments about what they are asked to secure after the architecture is “locked-in.” Changes that would make the building inherently more secure are then considered too costly or would not have architectural integrity. A building security plan starts with life safety and all the egress requirements that make a safe site. Only with good building design can the right doors be locked with no life safety exceptions. Security can get ahead of this by capturing security design decisions, packaging them in an easily searchable format, and providing them as elements to the architects and project managers before they start their work.

Security management needs to be sensitive to the look, feel, ambiance, and relevance of the architecture. But the architecture needs to balance all of that with life safety and the need to secure the space. It is much easier for the design team to move forward with all the key goals for the space clearly defined. Security can contribute to that body of knowledge by utilizing the ASSIST driven Architectural Security Standards information.